Delicious and savory, perfect for a hot summer night!
Christmas Eve Paella (Also: New Year's Eve Paella)
Paella is one of our family's favorite dishes, and even though I've heard it's "easy," there are many ingredients and the assembly is tricky. Ron's dad had a great recipe that goes back three decades (which uses the oven), and I found a fantastic version by Janet Mandel, a Spanish cooking authority (which uses the stove top). I put the two of them together, and also added my own touches. I decided to use a large earthenware casserole dish and the oven method. (Note: Assembly time: about an hour; cooking time, approximately another hour. Give yourself ample time, don't rush and enjoy the experience!)
Ingredients:
4 small chicken thighs, bone-in
4 small chicken breasts (or two breasts cut in half), bone-in
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
10 strands of saffron, steeped in boiling water
2 cups long grain white rice
8 cups chicken broth
1 green pepper, cut in 1/2" x 1/4" strips
1 ripe plum tomato, chopped
1 lb. Spanish chorizo (sausage)
18 raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
18 mussels
18 littleneck clams
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large Spanish onion, chopped (approximately 1 cup)
1/2 box frozen peas
4 oz. roasted red peppers
Note: Prepare your mis en table in advance; chop all tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, clean all seafood, etc. so the cooking and assembly process goes smoothly.
Preparation
Assembly
When chicken is cooked, arrange around edges of large open casserole or paella pan. Sprinkle with rice and add chicken stock, chopped tomato, chorizo/onion/pepper mixture, saffron with water, stir and cover tightly. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring half way through.
Remove from oven, uncover, stir. Add peas, roasted red peppers and shrimp. Cover, put back in oven for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add mussels and clams. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, or until clams, shrimp and mussels are cooked. Shrimp should be firm and pink. Discard any mussels or clams that are not open.
Serve with salad and crisp white wine, such as Pinot Grigio (or Sangria, for you purists).
Paella also makes a fantastic party dish, as perfect for a crowd on New Year's Eve as on Christmas Eve.
Getting Ready for Thanksgiving - Easy Turkey Gravy
This gravy recipe is a combination of the best Italian, French and American cooks in our family, plus my own contemporary additions. Its complex flavor comes from deglazing the pan filled with the rich drippings of the turkey (which is stuffed with an Italian sausage stuffing), plus a layering of seasonings and liquids (including white wine and chicken broth) ... and a hint of herbs.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
Drippings from 18 lb. (more or less) turkey
2 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp. flour
1/4 c. white wine (good dry one)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tsp. Gravy Master
Hot water
Process
• Drain fat from bottom of turkey roasting pan.
• Over medium heat on range top, deglaze pan with 1/4 cup white wine and 2 cups chicken broth, making sure to scrape up brown bits.
• In small bowl, mix 3 tbsp. flour with hot water. Stir to dissolve flour. Add to pan drippings and broth.
• Let simmer 10 minutes over low heat, stirring continuously.
• Add Gravy Master. Stir in well.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, and if desired, herbs such as bay leaf, fresh sage, fresh rosemary and fresh thyme.
• Pour through sieve into a medium-sized saucepan, making sure not to leave any brown bits at bottom of roasting pan, but removing herb leaves.
• Allow to simmer over low heat for another 5-10 minutes until thick and creamy, adjusting salt and pepper seasonings as needed. Serve hot with roast turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.
Step-by-Step Guide to The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
Roasting a turkey always looms as a daunting job. But it needn't be, if you plan ahead. Below we outline our fail-safe method for roasting a moist and flavorful turkey. Note: We always buy a fresh turkey. Never frozen.
Size Guidelines.
For 4-6 servings, buy a 10-12 lb turkey.
For 8-10 servings, buy a 12-16 lb turkey.
For 12-16 servings, buy a 16-22 lb turkey.
Always get a turkey large enough for leftovers!
Stuffed or Unstuffed?
Note: NEVER stuff your turkey the night before. You will risk infecting the turkey (and your guests) with dangerous bacteria. ALWAYS stuff the day you are roasting the bird, even if that means getting up a tad early.
In general, turkeys take about 20 mins per pound. Stuffed turkeys always take longer to roast. Add 1/2 hour to roasting time for a stuffed bird. (I.e., if an unstuffed 12 lb bird takes 3-1/2 hours, a stuffed one will take 4 hours.)
The best way to know if your turkey is done: The turkey should register 165F on a good meat thermometer. Test all over the bird -- the thickest part of the breasts, the innermost section of the thighs, and the wings, between the breast and the wing bone.
After the bird is taken out of the oven, let it rest at least 1/2 hour to let the juices come back into the bird. Otherwise, the juices will flow out of the bird as you cut it and render a very dry bird. If you stuffed the turkey, remove the stuffing from the cavity, put it into a heated casserole, cover and set aside.
(Note: For a fabulous stuffing recipe, see our "Grandma's Turkey Stuffing" post.)
Making the Most Flavor!
Use a roasting pan large enough to hold the turkey with room on the sides. Instead of using a plain roasting rack, make a bed of veggies to cradle your bird.
We use:
4-5 stalks of celery with leaves
4-5 large carrots, peeled and left whole
3 onions, sliced in 1/3 pieces
3 cloves garlic, whole
Fresh parsley sprigs
Fresh thyme sprigs
Place the veggies on the bottom of your roasting pan. Season well with salt and pepper, and a few pats of butter. Make a bed approximately 1" thick.
Now carefully place the turkey on top of the veggies. Season the outside of the bird well with salt and pepper (we use garlic salt for an extra kick), and top with several pats of butter.
Roast for 1/2 hour at 450F, basting halfway through and again after 1/2 hour. Lower the heat to 350F, and roast, basting often with the juices that are dripping off the bird. If needed, add more butter. If the skin is getting burned, cover with foil, especially the legs.
Carving Your Turkey
This is not difficult, but it takes a little patience. And sharp knives! If you're able, have your knives professionally sharpened in advance of roasting your turkey.
First, remove the legs by inserting a your carving knife between the breast and the leg and twisting gently. The legs should come loose and detach from the bird easily. Place on your serving platter.
Next, carving from the top of the bird downward, cut off the breast on each side of the turkey. Set aside. Then go to the wings and thighs.
Here's the best video we've found on carving a turkey, and this is exactly how we do it:
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/carve-turkey
Making the Creamiest Gravy!
When you are finished carving, set the turkey aside on a warm platter and make your gravy.
1. Remove the veggies from the bottom of the roasting pan.
2. Separate the fat from the drippings using a fat separator. (OXO Good Grips makes an excellent separator.) Return the drippings to the roasting pan.
3. Over low heat, deglaze the roasting pan using 2 cups chicken stock and 1/2 cup dry white wine. Scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. (That's where all the flavor is!)
4. Make a slurry using approximately 1/2 cup of the pan juices and 1/4 c flour. Add back into the roasting pan and mix.
5. Stir all thoroughly, add approx. 2-3 tbsp Gravy Master to the pan. Mix well, and transfer all to a saucepan.
6. Put saucepan on low and let the gravy thicken to your desired consistency.
(Also see our "Easy Turkey Gravy" post.)
You're Ready to Serve!
Place your platter of turkey, casserole of stuffing and any other sides you've prepared (suggestions: our Southern Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole, sautéed green beans with garlic and butter, and creamy mashed potatoes), and the piping hot turkey gravy in a gravy boat.
Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Kale Paella!
This is a Bobby Flay creation, which I ate at my birthday dinner at Gato in NYC last year. It is fabulous. But, unfortunately, Gato and all NYC restaurants are closed due to the virus. To my delight, the recipe was posted on his Food Network/FaceBook page and I couldn't resist. Here are the photos of my attempt and the recipe he posted. Try it! It's really great!
Bobby Flay's recipe, as posted on Food Network:
Bobby Flay
Here are the three eggs placed over the kale and rice. Because the eggs make the sauce, they should steam only a few minutes. Then, mixed with the rice and kale.
This is what is looks like all mixed up with the soccarat, kale and eggs.
Here it is plated. Delicioso!
Bobby Flay's recipe, as posted on Food Network:
Bobby Flay
Wild Mushroom and Kale Paella with steamed Eggs and Saffron Sauce.. this is my homespun version of GATO’s all-time customer favorite. It’s a vegetarian paella that I cooked in a cast iron pan since I didn’t have a paella pan.
I cooked short grain rice with lots of cremini mushrooms and fresh garlic and warm broth (use vegetable to keep it fully vegetarian, OR go for chicken broth) until the rice was soft. Then, I pressed it down in the pan, fired up the burner to med-high and created a crusty bottom on the rice (soccarat in Spanish). I added some sautéed kale with olive oil and garlic around the edges, and made 3 small wells in the center of the rice. Next, dropped a whole egg in each of the wells, covered the pan and let the eggs steam.
The vinaigrette is made with white vinegar, lemon juice, saffron threads, and olive oil...then drizzled it on top. It’s all finished with some lemon zest.
With 2 large spoons get under the crust and mix the crusty rice with the silky rice. Break the eggs and mix all together. Serve with some crusty bread and a good Spanish Albariño #wecook Food Network
With 2 large spoons get under the crust and mix the crusty rice with the silky rice. Break the eggs and mix all together. Serve with some crusty bread and a good Spanish Albariño #wecook Food Network
Here is the rice soccarat I created. Tip - it may be better to make the rice separately and then drain and put into the paella pan. Experiment and see what works for you.
Here is a photo of the sautéed kale placed over the rice. I sautéed the kale early in the day, let it soften, lots of garlic and olive oil.
Here are the three eggs placed over the kale and rice. Because the eggs make the sauce, they should steam only a few minutes. Then, mixed with the rice and kale.
This is what is looks like all mixed up with the soccarat, kale and eggs.
Here it is plated. Delicioso!
Savory Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
Double crust pie pastry (refrigerated pie crust is fine) Or make your own!
2-1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (or turkey)
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup flour (if you substitute non-fat or low fat milk, add two additional tbsp. flour)
1-3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, or fresh carrots (chopped), green beans (halved) and corn kernels
Egg wash: one egg, slightly beaten with fork, plus 1 tbsp. cold water
Freshly ground pepper, salt and paprika to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
Process
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Press bottom crust into a deep dish pie plate and brush lightly with egg wash.
3. In a 2-1/2 quart saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter and sauté the onion until wilted and golden, about two minutes.
4. Over medium heat, add flour, salt and pepper and stir until well blended. Gradually add the chicken broth and milk, stirring. Mixture will thicken and bubble.
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